31 weeks!

Happy New Year everyone! I'm so excited to be in the "30's" at last. Brad is too. We are so excited for Morgan to get here, but Brad has not has not been able to enjoy the pregnancy like I have. I get to feel all of the kicks, rolls, and flips, and I get to carry her around all day. So it makes sense that these past several months have not gone by as quickly for him as they have for me. Unfortunately, I am getting more and more uncomfortable as she gets bigger. I knew this was coming, because so many pregnant women have this issue. But I am not ready for her little tooshie to come out just yet, so I am perfectly content with her cooking until 40 weeks (we will see what I am saying in a few more weeks, ha ha).

This week Brad and I attended our first baby class with Kristin and Aaron Campbell, who are expecting their little boy in February. The class was very informative and it seemed like Brad actually enjoyed himself. He was very proud of his swaddling abilities, and takes a lot of pride in knowing that he can do it better than I can. We have the second part of the class next Tuesday, then we take Labor Basics 1 and 2 at the end of the month. We are going to do a tour of the hospital as well. Yay for classes!

Not muh more to post this week so here are the stats...

How far along? 31 weeks!

Total weight gain? 23 lbs (I gained 2 this week. Guess that Thanksgiving weight just needed a few weeks to kick in)

How big is baby? 16.25 inches and over 3.25 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? Nope. Lotion lotion lotion!

Sleep? Some nights great, other nights not so much.

Best moment of the week? Seeing Brad swaddle the baby doll at our class. He is going to be the best Daddy.

Movement? Yes! I have noticed that her movements are slower and more pronounced now. She isn't just randomly kicking all the time (although she still does this some). And I swear that I felt her little foot or hand in my ribs today and when I tried to push her away, gently of course, she moved! Good girl :)

Cravings? Obviously I am craving something. 4 pounds in just over 2 weeks. Yikes!

Gender? beautiful little girl :)

Labor signs? No! But I think I had a Braxton Hicks contraction last night. I felt everything in my stomach tighten up for about a minute and then it went away. It didn't hurt at all though. I wish real contractions were like that.

Belly button in or out? In. At this point I think it will stay in. Fine by me!

What am I looking forward to? Seeing Brad with Morgan for the first time. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

30 Weeks! Let the countdown begin :)

I would be a day late posting on the week I am off from work. Whoops! It has been WONDERFUL being off these past 2 weeks, but I am actually not dreading going back to work on Monday. I know the sooner I am back at work, the sooner Morgan will be here. So exciting! One of my lifelong friends, Sara, had her baby this week. Sara was exactly 10 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy so it is crazy to now say that I will have my little girl here in just 10 short weeks. I still feel like there are a ton of things to do. Brad seems to think that the nursery is pretty much finished, but to me it isn't even close. I am very ready for hunting season to be over so that he will be home on the weekends to help me get things in order. I decided to put Morgan's bouncer together today, and to my surprise, I was very successful! Now all we need to do is put her swing and travel system together and we will be good to go for her first couple of weeks at home. We have not yet gotten her Pack N Play, but I am holding off on that since it isn't something she will need right away. We do need to get a glider for her nursery though. It will be so much easier at feeding times to have a glider than to sit in a chair or on the sofa.

This week I had my 30 week appointment with my new doctor. Again, I was very impressed with him. He took a lot of time with me and talked to me at length about some of the symptoms I have been having. More recently I have been feeling short of breath, and he explained to me that this is common for many pregnant women, but if it gets worse to let him know. He also listened to my heart and said everything sounded fine. My blood pressure is still good, but I have noticed it is creeping up at every appointment. I did a little research online and found that your blood pressure is typically lower in the first 2 trimesters than it is in the third. I am going to start watching my sodium intake just to be safe. The doctor also talked to me about Morgan being breech. He explained that at 34 weeks they would check to see where she is because she can still flip a lot between now and then. Many babies will flip up until delivery. I have decided that I will not have her turned by a doctor, because there are risks involved and it may not even work. If I have to have a C-Section, oh well. As long as she gets here safe and is healthy, I will be so grateful.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with their families. I certainly did. Brad and I feel so blessed to have our health, a house, our wittle Waylon, and sweet Morgan on the way. Happy New Year!

Stats:

How far along? 30 weeks (only 7 weeks away from being full-term. WAHOO)

Total weight gain? +21. Up another 2 lbs from my last appointment. But hey, who DIDN'T gain 2 lbs over Christmas? ha ha.

How big is the baby? almost 16 inches and almost 3 lbs!

Maternity clothes? Yep. Still wearing non-maternity "lounge wear"

Stretch marks? None! So far so good. Please God let me have inherited my mom's stretchy skin! She had NO stretch marks and my brother was over 8 lbs when he was born.

Sleep? Pretty good!

Best moment of the week? Spending time with Brad and my family at Christmas. We can't wait for next year!

Movement? Oh yes. She got me pretty good in the ribs today. I had to have a little talk with her about that.

Cravings? Sweets. I feel like I am Buddy the Elf.

Gender? GIRL :)

Labor signs? No no no

Belly button in or out? In still, but looking weird.

What am I looking forward to? Finishing all of the little projects and shopping that I have left to do for Morgan.

29 Weeks - Lots of baby updates!

This week has certainly been an eventful one in babyland. I left off last week with my decision to change doctors. Well, I firmly believe I made the right decision. On Saturday, Brad was hunting so I decided to go hang out with my parents for the day. I had started feeling crampy on Friday night, but summed it up to having a busy day and decided to see how I felt in the morning. The cramping never subsided, so I called the on-call doctor around noon. Oddly enough, my "old" doctor was the doctor on-call that day. She did little to reassure me that I was okay, and basically said there was nothing she could do for me over the phone, and I would have to come in to the hospital. Of course I was terrified, so I decided to lay down for a little while and see if I felt any better. After about 2 hours, I decided it was time to go in. Brad came home from hunting and we were at JW by 4:00pm. My doctor came in for about 5 minutes when I first got there, but I never saw her again. The nurses were wonderful though. They monitored me closely for contractions, and although they were picking up "blips" on their machine, they reassured me that they weren't true contractions and that I was fine. I also had some tests done to check for a UTI and preterm labor, both of which came back normal. YAY! I followed up on Monday with my new doc, who is SUPER friendly, and took a lot of time with me. He also decided to send me for an ultrasound, just to be 100% sure everything was okay. Although I did not like the circumstances, I was very excited to see Morgan again on the ultrasound. She looked wonderful, and the ultrasound tech commented that I had a little gymnast in me. However, she is currently breech, but from my understanding she still has PLENTY of time to flip around. And from all the movement going on in my belly these days, it seems like she flips over often.

So where in the world are these cramps coming from? My new doc thinks that I should focus on drinking TONS of water and purchase a pregnancy "girdle" to support my growing belly. Morgan seems to have hit a major growth spurt and her constant movement has made my uterus very sensitive. It is so nice to know that everything is normal, and I am not experiencing pre-term labor. VERY SCARY. You really can't put a price on peace of mind.

Nothing else eventful this week, so I will leave you with the stats...

How far along? 29 weeks (can't believe next week I will be at 30. In my mind that is the home stretch!)

Total weight gain? +19. My weight on Monday was up two pounds from last Wednesday.

How big is the baby? still about 15 inches and 2.5 pounds!

Maternity clothes? Yep, but still getting by with some non-maternity tops

Stretch marks? None! So far so good.

Sleep? The past few nights have been great. I haven't even been getting up to use the bathroom until about 5am.

Best moment of the week? Seeing Morgan on the ultrasound and being reassured that all is well.

Movement? Yes! The nurses said she is a wild baby (they had to move the monitors constantly because she was so active). Oh lord....

Cravings? None

Gender? GIRL :)

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in or out? In, but getting flatter.


What am I looking forward to? Spending Christmas with my family and having an entire day with Brad. Doesn't happen too often nowadays and I really cherish that time with him!

28 weeks = 3rd trimester!

It seems surreal that I am already posting about being in my third trimester. I was convinced that the second trimester would drag on, considering it really is the longest (it goes from 12 weeks to 28 weeks), but it has gone by quickly. I hope that the third trimester is the same way, because I am SO excited for our little girl to be here. I will be a Mommy in a matter of a few months.

This weekend my roommate and good friend from college, Abby, came to visit me. We lived together for two years and were pretty inseperable during that time. We had a blast catching up on stuff. She is a newlywed and lives in Northern Va, so needless to say, we don't get to see each other often. She gave me some cooking lessons on Saturday, and the chili and cookies we made turned out great! I can't wait for her to come back down to visit once Morgan gets here.

I had the DREADED glucose test today, and to be honest, it went much smoother than I had expected. I did crash this afternoon though, so I am glad I took the day off of work. My appointment was scheduled for 9am this morning, and several friends recommended that I fast before the appointment so that I would pass the test. I decided to eat a light breakfast (toast and milk), so that I wouldn't risk passing out. If I fail this one, I will have to fast for the 3 hour test. Hopefully my results come back on Friday. I also had my Rhogram shot today, because my blood type is negative. Morgan's is most likely positive (85% of the population has a positive blood type), so to prevent any issues with future pregnancies, I have to receive an injection at 28 weeks and then again after she is born. No biggy, but the shot REALLY hurt.

One major concern of mine that has been weighing on me my entire pregnancy is whether or not my doctor is right for me. I switched when I found out I was pregnant so that I could be at an office closer to home. I was hopeful that the one I picked would work out, but each appointment I find myself leaving very let down and confused. Being that this is my first pregnancy, I usually have a list of questions and concerns for my doctor. I avoid searching things online because the internet can be a scary place for a pregnant woman. At my appointments, I feel incredibly rushed, I am never asked to list any concerns, and I ultimately feel like a burden when I do ask my questions. My concerns are always dismissed as "normal" signs/symptoms of pregnancy as well. Today was the final straw. My doctor had obviously not even looked at my file before walking into my room, and assumed I was only 24 weeks along. I had to remind her that I was in fact 28 weeks. After rushing through the normal checks, she left the room, but said she would be right back. She never returned, so I had to send the nurse to get her so I could ask my questions. She came back, stood in the doorway with arms crossed, and glared at me as if I was a bother. I realize that she sees pregnant women all day long, and that my regularly scheduled appointment is no big deal to her, but it is a huge deal to me. I took the entire day off of work for this appointment, and my mom also took off a half day to take me. These appointments are milestones in my pregnancy, and an opportunity to for me to be sure my little one is doing okay. I ended up scheduling an appointment with her for 30 weeks (I go every 2 weeks now, YAYAYAYA), but as soon as I got home I called and switched to another doctor who came highly recommended. He is older, he is a he and not a she, and he is known for his ability to spend time with his patients. I hope he works out, because I would really like to get to know him, and better yet, for him to know me, before D-Day arrives. If I make it to 40 weeks, I have 7 more scheduled appointments, which means I will have as many appointments with the new doc as I did with my old one. Sounds good to me!

Sorry to ramble on this week. Here are the stats!

How far along? 28 weeks (not 24, ha ha)

Total weight gain? +17. I only gained about a half of a pound this month. I am guessing that is okay, but being that my doctor never looked at my file, I doubt she knew my weight.

How big is the baby? about 15 inches and 2.25 pounds!

Maternity clothes? Yep!

Stretch marks? Not yet, but I am lathering up twice a day now that she is growing so fast.

Sleep? It's hit or miss, some nights are great, others are not.

Best moment of the week? Spending time with my friend Abby and hearing little Morgan's heart beating at my appointment today. Always makes me smile.

Movement? Yes! She seems to be all over the place. Sometimes she will be up in my ribs, other times she is down by my hip bones.

Cravings? No real cravings this week.

Gender? GIRL :)

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in or out (for some reason I have missed this question the last two weeks)? In, but getting flatter.


What am I looking forward to? My next appointment with my new doctor! :)

27 Weeks - Baby Shower post!

Mandy, Me, Lauren, and Victoria

Holly and I with our moms. She is due 11 days after me!

Yay for baby showers! I have always LOVED going to baby showers, but this week, it was my turn. Morgan and I are incredibly lucky to have so many family and friends who love us. We received a ton of wonderful gifts, and I am starting to feel more and more at ease about preparing for her arrival. A word of warning for future brides/mommies out there: Target does a very poor job with registries. Don't get me wrong, the products they carry are awesome, and it is a great place to shop for baby and home; however, I unfortunately received a lot of duplicate gifts because the computer did not remove the items from my registry when they were purchased (despite the fact that my wonderful guests did exactly what they were supposed to do and present the cashier with my printed registry so they could scan it). This of course made me very upset. My family and friends who worked so hard to purchase items for me off of my registry were no doubt disappointed to see that I was receiving the same gift from other people. But let me just say THANK YOU to them for putting so much time and effort into shopping for me and Morgan. And on the bright side, the duplicates were returned and put towards the travel system that I have had my eye on. Now we can officially bring Morgan home from the hospital! With all of this being said, I am deleting my Target registry for my upcoming friend shower, and sticking to Babies R Us. They seem to have the registry thing down to a science!

Other big news this week (well, big to me) is that complete strangers are beginning to inquire about my pregnancy! YAY! This is so exciting to me because now I know that I look pregnant enough for someone to ask me about it. Not only am I looking more pregnant, I am also FEELING more pregnant. Her kicks and jabs are getting stronger, and are sometimes painful. This morning, she was simultaneously punching me in the ribs and kicking my on my hips. She must like to stretch in the morning. Other than feeling tired, heavy, and uncomfortable, we have been doing well. I stayed home on Monday because I was fighting a terrible cold. To my amazement (although I shouldn't be surprised), staying home, resting, and drinking lots of fluids really is the best way to treat a cold. I felt 100 times better by Tuesday and was back at work. I hate using sick days, but it was worth it to get rid of the cold so I could get back to work and do my job well. Not to mention, I didn't spread any germs to my coworkers. So advice to ALL of my blog readers, if you are sick, stay home and rest. It's totally worth it.

Stats:

How far along? 27 weeks. This means next week I will begin my THIRD trimester. WOOHOO!

Total weight gain? Still haven't weighed. I will know next week at my appointment.

How big is the baby? 14.5 inches and 2 lbs!!!

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Stretch marks? Nope. Just bought some Belly Butter though because I ran out of my other stuff. Hope this works!

Sleep? Some nights not so great, other nights just fine. Has more to do with the dog and Brad than Morgan, ha ha. I actually dreamt that Brad and I went mattress shopping to get a King size bed. Ahh, wouldn't that be nice?

Best moment of the week? My mom gave me a lot of my old dresses and outfits from when I was a baby as part of my shower gift. I had asked her months ago if she had saved that stuff and she said she didn't think she had (lies!). I knew it was not like her to not save stuff like that, but I was still surprised to open that box. I have already picked out the outfit we will bring Morgan home in. So cute!!! It was also nice to see so many family and friends this weekend at my shower. It means the world to me that they came to celebrate sweet little Morgan!

Movement? Yes! And still loving it (even the painful ones).

Cravings? Nothing this week. Dairy products are still a big staple in my diet. Watch Morgan be lactose intolerant.

Gender? Princess

Labor signs? NO NO NO

What am I looking forward to? Seeing my good friend Abby this weekend! Also, getting my next appointment over with. Glucose test and Rhogram shot. Fun Fun!

26 weeks

Happy Hump Day! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and was able to get some rest. I sure did! It was so nice to have a few days off and spend time with family. I will admit that it was REALLY hard going back to work on Monday. The long weekend spoiled me and I was not ready to go back just yet. Needless to say, I am counting down the days until Christmas break. 12 more work days to go!

This week I have definitely noticed a change in my mood. Before I got pregnant, I was a very sensitive person, and always took things to heart. Now that I am pregnant, zit-faced, can't bend over, and look completely different than I did just a few months ago, I am even more sensitive. It doesn't help that people find it completely acceptable to comment on my appearance on a daily basis. I get a range of comments everyday, from "Oh, you look so small for being 6 months pregnant!" to "Wow, you are really popping out now!" I know people are trying to be nice, and I can not blame them for their curiosity in the preggo. It is just hard to process all of these comments when my hormones are out of wack and my self-esteem is already in the toilet. At the end of the day I remind myself that being pregnant is a blessing, and is not guarenteed to anyone. But if you were wondering what pregnant woman are really thinking when you comment on their growing tummy, now you know. :)

This weekend is a very exciting one. My first baby shower is on Sunday! My mom is throwing me my family shower, with the help of my brother's girlfriend, Calla. They have put so much effort into planning it, and I can't wait for everything to come together. I will be sure to post pictures next week. Mom said about 40 people have said they are coming, so it should be a wonderful turn out. I am such a lucky girl, and so is Morgan! We are very loved.

Stats:

How far along? 26 weeks

Total weight gain? haven't weighed this week, but I am sure it's up.

How big is the baby? 14 inches and very close to 2 lbs!

Maternity clothes? yes.

Stretch marks? Nope, but I am checking very closely now. My skin is getting tight!

Sleep? Terrible...waaaaaah. I need to stop my whining though because it won't get any better.

Best moment of the week? Spending time with my family on Thanksgiving. Also, Brad and I worked on the nursery and office on Sunday night and both rooms look SO great now. I was almost in tears when I saw the office after Brad finished it. It was so clean! haha. And of course I tear up everytime I go in the nursery. Can't wait for my baby girl to be in there snuggled up in her crib.

Movement? yep!

Cravings? anything, everything. bleh.

Gender? Sweet baby girl.

Labor signs? NO

What am I looking forward to? Baby shower this weekend!

25 weeks...Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope most of you had today off and were able to relax and spend time with your family. I got to see my best friend Lauren and her adorable son Connor today. We had a good time catching up and seeing Connor makes me so excited for Morgan to be here. Lauren is such a good mommy! I also got to catch up with my other best friend, Jenn, today. She just recently got back from Africa and is now working on interviewing for grad schools. I am so proud of her! I will take this opportunity, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, to express how truly thankful I am for my wonderful friends. They are always there for me and I don't know what I would do without them.

I was also able to go Christmas shopping done today. I got some things checked off my list, so I am feeling very accomplished. There is still a lot to be done though, and the thought of it all is very overwhelming. I may need to ask for Brad's help this year. He usually only shops for one person, me, while I am responsible for our families. Fighting crowds and dealing with traffic stresses me out, so I may just have to send him out with a detailed shopping list this year. :)

25 weeks pregnant is a major difference from just a few weeks ago. My belly grown a lot, and more people are noticing that I am pregnant, which I LOVE. I have not had the bad leg cramps, but sleeping is becoming more difficult. I keep waking up around 3 in the morning and can't go back to sleep. I suppose my body is preparing me for those nighttime feedings.

Ok, enough ramblings for today. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Stats:

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain? 16 pounds. I am up one pound from last week :/

How big is the baby? 13 or so inches and 1.5 pounds

Maternity clothes? yes!

Stretch marks? not yet!

Sleep? getting worse

Best moment of the week? Seeing Lauren and Connor today. LOVE THEM

Movement? as we speak :)

Cravings? the milk craving is gone. Now it's back to nothing

Gender? Princess

Labor signs? NO

Belly button in or out? In but looking different each week

What am I looking forward to? BABY SHOWERS and finishing the nursery